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10 December 2021 A New Species of Crested Pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) from the Lower Cretaceous (Upper Albian) of Richmond, North West Queensland, Australia
Timothy M. Richards, Paul E. Stumkat, Steven W. Salisbury
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Abstract

Pterosaur fossils from Australia are exceptionally rare. Since the discovery of the continent's first pterosaur some 40 years ago, fewer than 20 specimens have been described. The Lower Cretaceous (upper Albian) Toolebuc Formation of North West Queensland is the most productive horizon for Australian pterosaurs. Herein, we describe a new species of pterosaur, Thapunngaka shawi gen. et sp. nov., from the Toolebuc Formation, near Richmond, North West Queensland. The specimen (KKF494) comprises the rostral portion of a crested mandible and represents the largest pterosaur yet described from Australia. The new species presents features that indicate an affinity with Anhangueridae, which is consistent with their reported cosmopolitan distribution during this period. Thapunngaka shawi can be distinguished from other anhanguerids through the possession of a mandible with a smooth dorsal surface medially and uniquely sized alveoli that are positioned laterally along the jaw. Phylogenetic analysis reveals a close relationship among all Australian anhanguerids and points to an endemic Australian radiation within Anhangueridae. Thapunngaka shawi has the largest mandibular crest of any anhanguerian worldwide, and provides further evidence for the existence of an increasingly diverse range of large crested pterosaurs in the Australian part of eastern Gondwana during the Cretaceous.

© by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Timothy M. Richards, Paul E. Stumkat, and Steven W. Salisbury "A New Species of Crested Pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) from the Lower Cretaceous (Upper Albian) of Richmond, North West Queensland, Australia," Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 41(3), (10 December 2021). https://doi.org/10.1080/02724634.2021.1946068
Received: 4 January 2021; Accepted: 14 June 2021; Published: 10 December 2021
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